


A Little Bit of Elbow Grease

by Purple_Plums



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Swapfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), Discrimination, F/M, Minor Character Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Racism, Reader Is Not Chara (Undertale), Reader Is Not Frisk (Undertale), Reader has backstory, Reader-Insert, Reverse Harem, Slow Burn, Speciesism, Surface timeline, Undertale Monsters on the Surface, reader is female
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-09
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-01-25 21:30:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21362974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purple_Plums/pseuds/Purple_Plums
Summary: You had just recently invested in an old, run-down lodge in the middle of the woods – despite your family’s constant protests.(Well, it’s technically a mansion, but you think that “lodge” sounds much cozier.)After a year-and-a-half of grueling work, and a little bit of elbow grease, it is finally able to officially open – having passed all inspections with flying colors! Though, it doesn’t seem to be doing very well business-wise, mostly due to being located in the middle ofabsolutely nowhere. Just when you're about to give up, however, you finally get some tenants wanting to rent out some of the rooms; eight total, in fact! Excited, you decide to set up a meeting to talk about prices, contracts, and the like….Let’s just say you certainly weren't expecting an entire posse of skeletal Monsters appearing on your doorstep.[ ON HIATUS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE ]
Relationships: Papyrus (Swapfell)/Reader, Papyrus (Underswap)/Reader, Papyrus (Undertale)/Reader, Papyrus (underfell)/reader, Reader/Everyone, Sans (Swapfell)/Reader, Sans (Underfell)/Reader, Sans (Underswap)/Reader, Sans (Undertale)/Reader
Comments: 69
Kudos: 311





	1. Wait Are There Zombie's in Your Yard??

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [A Funky Old Shack](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16154249) by [coco_finny](https://archiveofourown.org/users/coco_finny/pseuds/coco_finny). 
  * Inspired by [Skeleton Squatters and the Landlady](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9816140) by [Tyrant_Tortoise](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tyrant_Tortoise/pseuds/Tyrant_Tortoise). 

> Oh I'm so excited to post my first piece on Ao3! 
> 
> This work was inspired by so many wonderful and talented authors; their stories gave me the motivation to be able to start writing my first serious on-going fanfiction. 
> 
> Thank you for constantly bringing up my moods with your wonderful writing. ♥

### Chapter 1: Wait Are There Zombie's in Your Yard??

You woke up to an endless string of _pings_ emitting from your phone that was currently plugged in across the room, lying on your horribly unorganized desk. A groan escaped from behind your lips as you rolled on your stomach, pushing your face into the pillow while simultaneously trying to cover your ears. Another minute passed, meaning another _ten notifications_. Finally, you snapped, throwing your legs haphazardly off the side of your bed and causing your comforter to fall unceremoniously on the floor.

You aggressively slid your feet into your slippers with a huff, standing and taking long strides towards the horrible noise that had been going almost nonstop for the past _fifteen minutes_. You grabbed the phone with a tight grip and unplugged it from the wall, unlocking the screen and seeing what was the big fuss was all about. You had a few texts from your parents, probably telling you to just sell the house you worked on for _over two years_ and come back home, plus a call from your boss asking if you could come in today even though he knew this was one of your only days off. Though, there was a single notification that was a much better surprise than previous missed calls and messages – someone interested in renting out the lodge!

Your horrid, sour mood took an immediate 180° – instead of the scowl that was once spread across your face, a large smile had taken its place. With your freehand you pumped your fist in the air, adorning a cheeky grin; this could be the moment that finally gets your parents to start trusting your judgment and believing in you! You were so excited you began to sway on your feet, changing the weight from the right leg, then to the left leg, and so on and so forth. You held the phone in both hands, opening the app that you were using to promote your almost two-year project. You began to read the message from the person interested in your property, hands shaking from either excitement or anxiety – you weren’t completely sure which emotion you were feeling more of.

It was a single, to-the-point message from someone simply named Sans –

_**Sans:** hey, I saw your ad about the lodge and was curious if we could meet to talk about the details. I’m good anytime, so just tell me whenever you’re available._

You immediately began to type your reply, overjoyed that _someone_ was interested in renting the place you poured your blood, sweat, and tears into repairing.  


_**You:** Hello, I’m so happy you’re interested in the property! I’m free today any time after noon if that’s good with you. We can just meet at the lodge so you can get a tour of the home as well. If it is to your liking, we can talk more about rent and such._

You skimmed over the message a few times to make sure it was free of any spelling or grammatical errors – nothing would be more embarrassing than looking like an incompetent idiot in front of your could-be-renter. With a happy tap on the screen, it was sent. You set your phone down carefully before letting out your victory screech, throwing your arms in the air. You knew nothing was set in stone at the moment, but just knowing that someone was interested in the lodge was enough to bring tears to your eyes.

It probably sounded stupid, being emotional over a _house_ of all things, but it was so much more to you than that. You bought it about two-and-a-half-years ago, just before your grandfather passed. Your parents were against what you wanted to do, not a surprise since they’ve been like that almost your entire life, but your grandparents – _especially your grandfather_ – were so proud of you. Your Nana and Papa taught you almost everything you know: how to grow the best vegetables that would win any county fair, how to sew up the holes on the knees of your jeans after falling off your bike, how to cook (if you could even call it that; your grandmother wasn’t very good at that specific artform) old family recipes, and how to build something from the ground-up. They made sure you knew how to work with tools without accidentally losing a finger or eye first though. So, when this place came up for sale, you pounced at the opportunity.

It was a large lodge – actually, it was more of a _mansion_, but lodge just sounded so much humbler – that sat on nearly 20 acres of land. Since it was in such a remote location and in such poor condition, you got it for an amazing price: $25,000 for everything that was on the property. Along with the large lodge – that had three stories, a basement, 17 bedrooms, three bathrooms, a large spacious kitchen, wraparound deck, and fireplace – the property also had a smaller house about 0.2 miles from the main lodge, which you claimed for yourself. That’s where you’ve been living for the past year or so. It was a modest little shack that didn’t need much work done to it, just a few issues here and there that weren’t too hard to fix.

Speaking of issues, you certainly ran into many with the main house. When you bought the land, and everything on it, the lodge was in a horrible state – it was supposed to be demolished but, with enough elbow grease and hard work, you were able to restore it to its former glory. Plus, you got one of your friends who worked in the architecture biz to help out a bit. Now, it’s up to code in everything – perfect and ready to be lived in; it’s even furnished with some of your Papa’s old hand-made furniture!

It was also the last project you worked on with him – your grandfather – before he passed away. It holds a lot of good memories from those last few months he helped you before getting sick. Suddenly, a _ping_ snapped you out of your nostalgic reminiscing. Your gaze landed on your cellphone that was lying on the desk; you lunged towards the piece of tech, picking it up and looking at the screen with a belated breath.

_**Sans:** yeah today will work – I’ll be up around 1:00 then. See ya later, bud._

** **** **

Did he just call you _‘bud’_? Oh whatever, he was interested in the lodge and that was a free pass for any stupid nickname he wants to give you.

_**You:** Okay, that sounds perfect! I’ll see you then, pal! :)_

As soon as you pressed send you were immediately hit with instant regret. You were supposed to be professional, and here you are calling a potential renter _“pal”_. You placed your phone back down and covered your face with your hands, groaning in embarrassment. Sadly, you didn’t have time for self-pity – you had to get ready for the meeting!

You put together a semi-professional outfit with what you had and began your way to the bathroom to take a shower – you probably looked like a hot mess right now. You were completely fine with being hot, but you didn’t really want _mess_ to be a part of that equation. You placed your clothes – which consisted of a cute button-down shirt in your favorite color, a black pencil skirt, and an old pair of pantyhose that still looked almost new – on the counter next to the sink. With your now free hands, you walked over to the shower/tub hybrid and turned the knobs, adjusting the hot and cold water until it was just the right temperature. You stripped off your extremely unsexy, yet extremely comfy, pajamas and threw them into a random corner of the bathroom.  
Stepping into the warmth felt like heaven, causing a smile to slowly spread across your face. You quickly washed up and pretty much sprang out of the shower after turning off the running water. After putting on your underwear and wrapping a towel around your hair you went over to your medicine cupboard and grabbed the toothpaste, squeezing some onto your toothbrush.

Once you had finished your morning ritual of getting ready you went over your internalized list – _‘Shower: check. Brush teeth: check. Fix hair: check. Put on just a little bit of makeup: check. Get dressed: check.’_ After going through your typical routine, you realized you had forgotten something important, something fundamental in every morning regimen – breakfast.

“_Oh my God_, I’m a dumbass.” You muttered to yourself in the mirror, looking at your white teeth and the perfectly – _flawlessly_, even – applied lipstick. There was no way you would get your lipstick to look this good again, not in a million years. Well, you could always grab something to eat after the meeting; oh, maybe you could even invite your potential client! Try to get to know them a little better!

In actuality, you were hoping that being a huge suck-up would make them feel almost obligated to rent the lodge. Was it messed up? Just a little. You highly doubted it would work anyway, but it was certainly worth a shot.

You walked out of your bathroom with a sigh, throwing your pajamas across the room into the hamper – nothing but net baby! Anytime you got your clothes into the hamper or a piece of trash in the garbage can by throwing it from across a room just filled you with pride… for some strange reason. It was a feeling that started in elementary school and just continued throughout the years; you can still remember the sound of your classmates’ _‘ooh’s_ and _‘aw yeah’s_ whenever anyone got a paper ball into the trashcan.

Taking a look at the clock across the room you read the time: 12:27. You still had plenty of time until your client would be arriving so you just decided to head out to the lodge early – just to make sure everything was in order and looked presentable. You grabbed your purse that held your wallet, keys, pepper spray, and other random items; there were a few pieces of gum, an old granola bar you never opened – name anything and you probably had it hidden away somewhere within your own personal blackhole known as a _handbag_.

You walked out of your bedroom and down the hall to the living room, trying your best not to trip on the garbage and other random objects that were haphazardly thrown about. It was little things like shoes you kicked off that ended up flying in a random direction, papers you knocked down and never bothered to pick up, and some planks of wood you didn’t use when you fixed up your little shack here. You made a mental note to clean this up later; you may have guests over one day and you really don’t want them to think you’re a _total_ slob.

You grabbed your coat from its hook by the door, slipping it onto your shoulders while stepping out into the crisp autumn air. It was slowly getting cooler; in your opinion, the cold was _way_ better than the scorching heat of summer. At least when you were cold all you had to do was put more clothes on; you could only take off so much in the heat and, even if you’re naked, it still feels miserable.

Skipping down the stairs of your front porch, you began your walk towards the lodge, feet crunching on the mix of gravel and leaves below you. You closed your eyes and took a large breath in, tasting in the clean – yet stinging air, and enjoying the silence of the forest around you. You loved the city as much as the next guy, but it was way more fun to visit then to live in. You had moved away from your parents as soon as you could, all just to pursue the dreams you gave up on.  


You were born and raised in the country, living with your parents on the family’s strawberry farm. Your grandparents lived about a half-a-mile away, and you always made sure to visit them at least every other day; you loved your grandparents – and they absolutely adored you in return. Nothing like your mom and dad. You don’t have a rocky relationship with them, per se, you just hated how they never trusted you. You were a good kid who messed up _once_, and that one mistake led to them to doubting every decision you made from that point on. It hurt, knowing your parents weren’t always 100% rooting for you.

You smiled nostalgically at the memory of when you bought the lodge. You were living in your small, city apartment at the time you heard about the offer. It had been three years since you moved miles away from home; three years of saving up money for – at this point – something you can’t even remember. It was hopeless and miserable; it was loud and dirty and the lights never went off. You had to get away from the hustle and bustle of it all, but you couldn’t go back home; you didn’t want to admit you were wrong.

_“Don’t come crying to us when things don’t go as planned,”_ your parents had told you before you left. _“Life isn’t a fairytale – you need to be more realistic and understand that dreams don’t just come true. You have to pour everything you have into them.”_ And they were right. Maybe, just maybe if you had tried a little harder, put a little more heart and soul into it, you wouldn’t even be in this situation….

Your thoughts are interrupted by a large gust of wind that slaps against your face, stinging your cheeks and slightly numbing your nose. Looking up the gravel road that you were currently walking on your pride and joy quickly came into sight. Oh, you were at the lodge. That was pretty quick; you were almost impressed with your brisk walking abilities! You climbed up the oaken stairs of the wraparound deck and stood in front of the front door, looking for the right key on your keyring. Once you found it, you unlocked the door with a light _‘click’_ and stepped inside.

The warmth felt wonderful but, at the same time, hurt just as bad as the cold did – the human body really didn’t make sense sometimes. You removed your jacket and placed it on the coatrack that sat by the front door, placing it strategically so it didn’t look like you just threw it there. The inside of the lodge was bright; it had so many windows, which caused a _bit_ of an insulation issue, but the natural light made everything look so much nicer. It was nice and warm within the lodge, but you still felt a bit chilly. You walked over to the fireplace and crouched down, grabbing some of the pieces of firewood that were stacked to the right of the hearth, and placed them so they looked like a teepee. After finding a lighter stashed away in a random kitchen junk drawer, and some old newspaper you had sitting on the island that you forgot to recycle, you began the fire.

The crackling of the fire as it roared to life sounded so relaxing to you; it reminded you of when your family would go on little camping trips every summer to a site a few counties over. The sound of the trees rustling in the wind, the smell of burning marshmallows, the warmth that radiated from the fire – the sound of knocking at the front door… wait a minute.

Your heart leaped into your throat. Oh shit, oh fuck. They were here. You were lowkey kind of panicking – you looked over yourself once more to make sure everything looked nice and professional and dashed over to the door. You took a few deep breaths to calm your nerves but, right when you were about to grab the doorknob, a deep voice rang from the other side.

“knock knock.”

Oh God – a knock-knock joke. You could already feel your anxiety slowly draining from your body. A smile tugged at your lips; were they seriously going to tell you a knock-knock joke?

“Who’s there?”

He replied without missing a beat, “lettuce.”

“Lettuce who?”

“lettuce in, it’s cold out here.” That was so bad. It was so bad and, yet, you couldn’t stop the giggles escaping past your lips; you didn’t think it had been _that_ long since you laughed, geez. You suddenly felt as though you didn’t have anything to worry about – this dude seemed to be quite _chill_ (see what I did there) and that lessened your anxiety by at least 96%. Your hand grabbed ahold of the brass knob and turned, opening the door. Though your eyes widened at the sight in front of you, and your smile faltered oh so slightly.

There were at least eight skeletons just standing there. Oh God, they were looking at you.

Well, seeing the undead just hanging out in your front yard was nothing – they were potential renters, after all. It was probably against the universal _“Zombie Survival Rules”_ to let the walking dead into your home… but at this point all you wanted to do it tell your parents _“I told you so,”_ even if it meant turning into a zombie as a result. Sacrifices must be made sometimes.


	2. Frozen to the Bone

### Chapter 2: Frozen to the Bone

You probably looked _extremely_ rude just standing in the doorway, gawking at the group of monsters in front of you. It had been about five or so months since monsters arrived on the Surface. Though, up until this point, you had never once met one in person... It was strange considering you worked a part-time job in Ebott City – a city which had _quite_ the large monster population. Though, that was mostly due to being located right below the mountain that hid the Underground for all those years. 

You slowly came to the realization that they were all just looking at you, seemingly waiting for _something_ to happen. Heat rose to your face and you could feel your cheeks begin to burn; oh my God you probably looked like a complete speciest asshole. You sputtered out, stumbling slightly over your words, “O-Oh! Hello there, sorry for staring. I’ve just never met a monster before and was a bit taken back by the suddenness of it.” 

You prayed that they didn’t already hate you. Monsters still had to deal with so much discrimination and intolerance in their day-to-day lives – some humans never changed after all; they made the word _“mankind”_ look like a complete contradiction. 

Oh shit; you were still blocking the doorway. 

“Here, come on in! I apologize for keeping you waiting for so long; I hope you all are not too cold.” The skeleton with the blue hoodie just lazily smiled at you. He opened his mouth and began to speak, the tone of his voice telling you he was probably the one who told the knock-knock joke, “heh, don’t worry about it kiddo. It’s kinda hard to get under our _skin_, if you know what I mean.” 

You wanted to groan at the horrible pun… but it appeared that a few others had completely beaten you to it. Your gaze landed on one of the taller skeletons; this one was wearing a pristine red scarf and had an almost heroic air to him. He was stomping his right foot against the ground, yelling out in an almost pleading voice, “SANS, _PLEASE_!” 

Oh, well now you knew which one was Sans! You really weren’t expecting so many guests – not that you were complaining! On the contrary, you were actually quite excited that there were these many people, err… monsters interested in the property! You may have been taken aback by their sudden appearance, but you had nothing against monsterkind. Despite certain news stations trying to make them out to be the horrible creatures from fairytales you were told about as a child, there has not yet been a single monster-on-human violence case in the entire country. Human-on-monster violence, however, was a completely different story. 

“HUMAN, I DO APOLOGIZE FOR MY BROTHER’S HORRIBLE PUNS.” The red-scarfed skeleton spoke, wringing his gloved hands together in an almost nervous manner. “I HOPE THIS WON’T MAKE YOU TURN US AWAY LIKE THE LAST FEW LANDLORDS HAVE.” 

The air around you suddenly felt like it was charged with electricity, causing your hair to stand on end and a chill to run up your spine. You probably knew why the other renters had turned them down, and it certainly had _nothing_ to do with Sans’ bad jokes. Though, fighting against the thought of someone turning them down simply because they were monsters, you said beaming, “Oh, don’t worry about it! I actually have quite the tolerance built up for bad puns – _especially_ dad jokes – so you have nothing to worry about.” 

Once those words left your mouth, the air almost immediately went back to normal. The red-scarfed skeleton looked at you with an almost pitying, yet understanding, expression, “I’M SO SORRY YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE SAME PAIN AS I, HUMAN. I KNOW HOW AWFUL IT IS TO HEAR THOSE JOKES DAY IN AND DAY OUT... I AM ACTUALLY QUITE IMPRESSED AT YOUR SKILL TO HOLD IN YOUR SUFFERING SO WELL!” 

Before you could utter a single word in response, or snort at the way he worded his sentence, the boisterous skeleton exclaimed, “I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AND THAT IS MY BROTHER SANS!” He gestured to the short skeleton in the blue hoodie that was simply standing there, eyes half-lidded and a tired grin plastered on his face. 

“heyo, kiddo.” He waved at you. Of course, you waved back and gave him a meek smile in return. 

“OVER THERE ARE RED AND HIS BROTHER EDGE–” He gestured over to two skeletons who were standing far away from you. One of them was quite short and, somehow, seemed to be a little bit pudgy; how was that even possible? He was a skeleton for crying out loud! He was making eye contact with you, adorning a shit-eating smirk which revealed a single gold tooth and many, _many_ other sharp teeth – just like a shark. He lazily raised his hand like Sans had done previously; a half-asked wave, if you may. 

“hey doll, nice ta’ meet cha’. I’m red.” The taller skeleton standing next to him simply scoffed. He refused to even look in your direction, seemingly finding the forest to be much more interesting. Oh _wonderful_ – this was definitely Edge. From how he was acting, he certainly didn’t seem to be the softest person around; he kind of reminded you of yourself back in middle school. Still, you gave him a small smile, even if he refused to look at you directly, “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you two; I hope we can get to know each other a little better in the future.” 

“heh, you can say that again sweetheart. I’d love ta’ get to know ya’ better, especially in be–!” Before Red could even finish his sentence, Edge had hit him on the top of his skull, a look of disapproval in his eye sockets and a scowl adorning his expression, 

“DON’T YOU _DARE_ CHASE AFTER THIS HUMAN LIKE A LOST DOG, BROTHER! I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU AND YOUR CONSTANT WANT TO CANOODLE WITH THEIR SPECIES; IT’S DEGRADING AND PATHETIC!” You felt a bit irked at his statement, yet also quite relieved he had gotten his brother to look anywhere but at you. You didn’t like, nor understand, how dating a human would make one _“pathetic,"_ but you were also glad Red wasn’t trying to undress you with his eyelights anymore. 

“y-yeah, sorry bout’ that, boss.” 

A new voice rung out to your right, “I APOLOGIZE FOR THEIR BEHAVIOR, HUMAN! THEY’RE VERY SOCIALLY INEPT, AS YOU CAN SEE.” It was another smaller skeleton, though this one had a baby blue bandana wrapped around his neck. He was walking towards your side, his disapproving gaze never leaving the edgier pair of brothers for even a second. 

“WHY YOU LITTLE–!” Edge began as he took a step closer to the blue skeleton, but was quickly cut off by another voice, “heh, I’d stop there if I were you, edgelord.” There was another lanky skeleton, this one wearing a worn-looking orange hoodie. He had his hands in his pockets and a sucker hanging from his mouth. His eyes though… they seemed to be a bit intense; it was almost like he was holding back something. All you could do was hope you would _never_ be on the receiving end of that look. You found yourself almost subconsciously stepping away from the group. 

Red glared at the taller skeleton, “ya’ better watch your tone, ashtray or I’ll–” 

“ALL OF YOU ACT LIKE A BUNCH OF BABYBONES, I SWEAR.” One of the skeletons that hadn’t yet spoke said, rolling his eyelights as he gazed at the argument erupting in front of him. Behind him was, what you could only assume, his brother. They were both a bit scarred up, similar to Red and Edge, but seemed to be _far_ more mature than the latter; well, that was the impression you were getting after seeing how the group has acted thus far. Suddenly your eyes locked with the dark navy blue of the skeleton who had spoken out. He began walking towards you, taking long strides while his heeled boots caused the gravel under his feet to _crunch_ in response. He had an air of confidence around him and, if you were being completely honest, it was kind of intimidating. 

“HELLO, HUMAN. MY NAME IS BLACK, AND THIS MONGREL,” He stopped to point his thumb over his shoulder at the skeleton who had yet to _actually_ speak, “IS MY BROTHER, RUS. IT IS NICE TO MEET YOU, AND I DO APOLOGIZE FOR EVERYONE’S BEHAVIOR. ONE HALF ACTS LIKE CHILDREN AND THE OTHER HALF ARE TOO LAZY TO DO ANYTHING.” 

Rus simply nodded his head at you as a way to say _‘hello.’_ You did the same and returned your gaze to Black, a smile appearing on your face once more after fading during the argument that was still currently going on. Holding your hand out, you said, “Well, it’s nice to meet both of you! I hope we can get to know each other better in the future.” 

Black hesitantly eyed your hand before eventually grasping it, shaking it lightly up and down. “THESE IDIOTS ARE, SADLY, MEMBERS OF MY FAMILY,” He told you, gesturing to the shitstorm currently going down in your front lawn. 

Red was arguing with the one in the orange hoodie, while Edge was having a screaming battle with the blue bandana-wearing skeleton. Papyrus was, unsuccessfully, trying to get them to stop their mini-tantrum, all while Sans just seemed to be staying out of it for the most part; though, even if he wasn’t directly involving himself in the argument, it still looked like he was prepared to jump in and intervene if need be. His eyelights were certainly intense as he watched the group, smile strained. 

“YOU KNOW WHO SANS, PAPYRUS, RED, AND EDGE ARE… THE OTHER TWO IDIOTS ARE BLUE AND STRETCH; YOU SEEM TO BE SMART FOR A HUMAN, SO I’M SURE YOU CAN FIGURE OUT WHO IS WHO.” Was… was that a compliment? Before you could say anything in return, Black stopped watching the group in front of him and turned to face the front door, continuing to speak, “NOW, IF YOU DON’T MIND, MAY WE HAVE A TOUR OF THE LODGE? I WOULD LIKE TO GET OUT OF THIS COLD, AFTERALL.” 

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” You could feel the heat rising to your face in embarrassment. “It was just a bit hectic and I completely forgot to let all of you in. Well then, follow me – I’d love to show you every nook and cranny of the place!” You motioned with your arm for them to follow you, which Black and Rus did while the others were completely unaware of your sudden departure. Once inside the skeletons seemed to almost marvel at the interior. You beamed at them and began to talk about the house – its history, the original design of the home, and what you had turned it into. You didn’t realize you were rambling until Black spoke up. 

“SO, HOW MUCH WAS THE RENT PER ROOM AGAIN? IF MY MEMORY SERVES ME WELL IT WAS ABOUT $450 A MONTH, CORRECT?” He sounded completely disinterested as he spoke, walking over to the living room coffee table and picking up a small knickknack you had found at a thrift store. He played with it in his hands, gaze returning to you – obviously waiting for you to speak. 

“Yes, your memory is correct; it is $450 per month. The money will go towards the utility bills, home insurance, etcetera – pretty much anything that the house needs to stay in tip-top shape.” He hummed in what you _think_ was approval, placing the old trinket back down on the table. Your gaze wandered over to Rus who was standing near the fireplace, watching the flames as they twirled around in their silent dance. You walked over to him quietly, only wanting to start a conversation; he was the only one who you hadn’t heard speak yet and, in all honesty, you wanted to know what he sounded like. Did he have a deep, monotone voice like Sans or a powerful, boisterous one like Papyrus? 

“So, are you feeling a little warmer?” Your words seemed to shock him out of a trance as he jumped slightly, freezing up completely once his eyes met yours. Guilt instantly began to swell in your gut; you didn’t mean to startle him... Maybe you could fix this with a joke? From what you’ve seen out of the others, you have about a fifty-fifty chance of him either _loving_ the pun or absolutely _hating_ you for it. 

“I hope I didn’t let you _freeze to the bone_ out there. That would not be very _humerus_, especially for a skeleton; frozen bones don’t sound like they would be very pleasant.” It seemed as though the entire world stopped for a moment while you waited for some kind of reaction – a smile, a sigh, an eye roll – anything! As your thoughts raced, a sharp exhale of breath and a deep chuckle brought you back to the moment. 

Rus was giving you a small smirk and, while his posture was still a bit stiff, it wasn’t as rigid as it had been. He spoke, his voice deep yet gentle, “heh… that wasn’t too bad. I have a _skele-ton_ of puns if you’re ever interested in hearing more.” Oh my God, it actually worked – your horrible puns actually _worked_! While trying to hold in your laughter, a quiet snort escaped from your nose as you sputtered out, “Well, Rus, I can’t wait to hear all the _rib ticklers_ you have in store for me.” 

“OKAY YOU TWO, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF YOU WOULD STOP WITH THE HORRID PUNS.” Black said to you both from across the room though, even if his tone was as serious as could be, the small smirk on his face said otherwise. 

“Oh, Black – could you get the others from outside? I’d love to show you the upstairs bedrooms, and it would be much easier if everyone was here at the same time.” The skeleton just sighed and rolled his eyelights, walking to the front door and turning the knob. Though, as the door opened, a pile of bones burst through the entryway, almost knocking down Black in the process. 

“GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME, YOU LITTLE DEMON!” Edge screeched, reaching behind him to grab the tiny skeleton’s bandana. Blue was currently holding onto Edge’s back in a similar manner to that of a backpack; he was _very_ good at dodging Edge’s attempts to remove him. Blue shook his head and exclaimed in return, “NOT UNTIL YOU DECIDE TO GROW UP, YOU UNCIVILIZED MISCREANT! YOU’RE MAKING US LOOK BAD IN FRONT OF THE HUMAN!” 

Black shot them both a disapproving look as he stepped further away from the two skeletons, crossing his arms and rolling his eyelights. Rus was still next to you as he looked out one of the many windows and whistled slightly, trying to ignore the chaos entirely. Papyrus was still doing his best to stop the two from causing damage with his exclamations of _“EDGE, BLUE, PLEASE STOP!”_ and _“YOU’RE GOING TO BREAK SOMETHING!”_ Stretch and Red were nowhere to be found. Though, that was probably a good thing; you didn’t need two more angry skeletons causing a ruckus in your lodge. What really drew your attention was Sans as he stood in the doorway, eyelights extinguished and his smile tight as he watched the altercation happening in the entryway. 

You weren’t expecting him to speak but, when he did, it made you freeze in your tracks. 

**“s t o p r i g h t n o w.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone sounds okay so far! I'm fairly confident in my ability to write for the Underfell and Swapfell boys, but I'm a bit concerned when it comes to writing the classic and Underswap pairs,,  
((You can probably see my bias towards Black and Rus, huh?))
> 
> Also, thank you all for the support so far! It means so much to me that you are reading my little story. ♥


	3. The Beginning of the House Tour

### Chapter 3: The Beginning of the House Tour

**“s t o p r i g h t n o w.”**

Once those words left his mouth, everyone stopped dead in their tracks as beads of sweat began to form on their skulls. You really couldn’t blame them; you could feel your skin already starting to become clammy.

If it wasn’t for the tone of Sans’ voice, you may have found this situation to be slightly entertaining. Edge and Blue had both stopped moving completely, the latter still on the larger skeleton’s back; from where you were standing, it looked as though Blue had Edge’s gloved hand clamped down in-between his teeth. Papyrus had stepped back from the chaos and was watching silently as he wrung his hands together, eyelights darting from Sans, then to the others, and then back. Black had made his way over to you at some point, placing himself next to his brother – the latter of whom was sweating bullets. Sans was still just standing there, having not moved a single inch; you had a feeling if you didn’t step in now things could get a bit complicated – especially if Red and Stretch decided to join the party.

You stepped forward away from Rus and Black, forcing a smile and doing your best to ignore the sweat dripping down the back of your neck, “Since everyone has calmed down a bit, h…how would you like to go on a tour of the lodge? I’d love to show you the rest of the ground floor and the upstairs rooms!”

Everything stayed still as you waited for something to happen; it felt as though time had just stopped completely. Your body was hit with immense relief as you watched Sans’ eyelights blink back into his sockets, his smile becoming a tad bit more relaxed. It was kind of impressive how he looked completely different now – you know like he didn’t almost go sicko mode on the others just a few seconds ago. He spoke out, voice returning to its normal quality, “yeah, sounds good to me – lead the way then, kiddo.”

“O-Of course!” You sputtered out, unease noticeable in your voice, “This here is the living room,” You gestured at the room behind you, turning to see Black with his arms crossed and Rus with his hands stuffed in his hoodie pockets, eyelights glued to the floor. Black seemed to be quite annoyed as he glared at Sans and the others behind you, foot tapping lightly against the floorboards. Poor Rus just seemed like he didn’t even want to be here anymore; you could tell he definitely didn’t like any kind of conflict.

You walked into the entryway as Sans closed the front door behind him, wiping his sneakers off on the mat. You gestured towards the staircase which was the first thing you could see when you entered the home, “Underneath the stairs are the door to the basement on the right, and a small utility closet on the left. This is the only way you can get up to the second and third floors – well, you can use the windows, but I wouldn’t recommend it.”

You continued to speak, turning back around to face Sans, “You’re currently in the entryway at the moment,” You began to walk straight past Edge and Blue who were still clinging onto one another; once you passed, though, you heard a light thud behind you and Blue mutter an “Ouch.” Sans began to walk on the right of your person as you made your way to the dining room, watching as you spoke. You would be lying if you didn’t feel a bit uneasy in his presence – especially after witnessing how much fear he could get you to feel just by changing the tone of his voice.

“In here is the dining area, which is, in turn, connected to the kitchen.” As soon as the group entered the kitchen you heard two very large gasps. Turning around you watched as Papyrus’ eyelights began to shimmer and Blue’s turn into little stars, both of their mouths agape. Edge and Black also seemed to be a bit brighter as they walked around, inspecting everything with a very careful eye.

Smiling, you asked, “So, do you guys like to cook?”

“WHY YES WE DO, HUMAN! HOW DID YOU KNOW?” Papyrus asked, tilting his head to the right slightly. You gave him a patient smile and answered, slightly amused, “Well, you all seem quite excited about the kitchen – most people don’t get that exhilarated when they see a stove.” You gestured over to Edge who had been inspecting said appliance for about three or so minutes. At your words he stopped looking at the stove and turned to you, a deep scowl adorning his skull.

“HMPH, DON’T FLATTER YOURSELF – THIS KITCHEN IS NOTHING SPECIAL.” All you could do is raise an eyebrow in skepticism; his mouth said one thing, but his actions spoke even louder than his already ear-ringing volume. You just gave a small shrug and turned back around to face Papyrus and Blue, the latter of whom looked like he was going to explode.

“Do you have a question, Blue? I’ll do my best to give you an answer.” Your voice was light, airy – it had a certain calmness about it. You’ve always been a very patient individual, calm and collected in nearly every situation. While most would probably be exhausted being around two very rambunctious individuals, it never really affected you; in a way, you kind of fed off of their constant energy. 

“OH, IT’S NOTHING IMPORTANT! I JUST WANTED TO ASK IF YOU ENJOYED COOKING AS WELL? IT WOULD BE FUN TO COOK SOMETHING TOGETHER SOMETIME – AS FRIENDS!” He was so excited as he spoke, eyelights still in the shape of stars. For some reason, you felt your heart tug a little at his words. The way he said “friends,” the way he was so excited to have someone to cook with – you knew what that was like. That constant desire for companionship, platonic or otherwise, was something that plagued you in your younger years. Though, as you grew up, you started caring less and less about friends, instead choosing to focus more on schooling and grades. That was something you’ve come to regret – having no one by your side.

“Hmm, I do enjoy cooking, quite a bit actually – I work at a restaurant down in town whenever I’m not working on my independent projects up here.” As soon as you mentioned working at a restaurant, Blue and Papyrus started to bombard you with questions. Questions like: “WHERE DO YOU WORK?,” “DO YOU LIKE SPAGHETTI,” “DO YOU LIKE TACOS?” Though, before you even got a chance to answer, Sans spoke from behind you, “hey, would you mind showing me the basement? I work on some independent projects myself, and I’d like a nice place I can set up a workshop.”

“Oh, of course!” You excused yourself from Blue and Papyrus as you lead Sans back out into the entryway and to the right of the stairs where an oak door lied, separating the basement and main floor. You turned the handle of the door and opened it, cringing as the hinges squeaked a little.

“Don’t worry – I’ll make sure that gets fixed; nothing worse than a creaking door.” You pulled your phone out and wrote ‘fix door hinges’ in your ever-expanding to-do list. 

“heh, don’t worry about it – we can _handle_ a squeaking door for a bit.” Sans told you, punctuating the “handle” by looking at the doorknob and wiggling his bonebrows slightly. You couldn’t help chuckling at the horrible pun; luckily, your reaction seemed to be exactly what he was looking for. His smile widened slightly as you turned back around, continuing your descent into the basement. The basement was quite spacious with an open floor plan, the only thing really getting “in the way” being the support beams that were scattered here and there. It was also split into two areas, the main one where you were currently standing and a smaller one behind the closed oaken door across the room – your guess is that was, at one point, a mancave. 

“Well, here’s the basement,” You gestured to the room with your right hand, giving Sans the okay to look around. You continued to talk as you walked next to Sans, “This is the main area where we’re currently standing; that’s where you’re able to hook up your washer and dryer, and over here is an area for storage or even a bedroom, if needed.”

The room behind the door seemed to grab Sans’ attention. You walked a bit faster to be able to open the door for him. He walked to the middle of the room, his eyelights roaming the area as he carefully studied the vicinity. He turned to look at you, asking, “would we be able to turn this into a workshop? Me and a few of my family members enjoy working with machines, so an area like this would be perfect.”

“Of course! I mean, as long as you’re not building anything that could potentially blow up the house, then I’m fine with it.” You laughed a bit, too busy walking over to one of the small windows to notice the nervous look on Sans’ face. 

“Oh, and if you ever need to, here are some windows you can open to get the air from becoming too stale; basements can get kind of stuffy after a while.” You opened one of the windows to show your potential client how they worked exactly, enjoying the fresh autumn breeze as it blew in.

“that’ll be nice – we’re, uh, not the biggest fans of spaces that get no airflow.” He said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his skull. He wasn’t making eye contact with you, apparently finding a small cobweb in one of the corners more interesting. Your heart sank at his words, worry bubbling in your gut – you really hope you didn’t accidentally trigger him. While the monsters were a very peaceful and kind race, you’ve read in articles that nearly half of the population has PTSD from their time stuck behind the barrier; most of it is usually triggered by small, dark spaces. 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry! We can go upstairs if you’re done down here.” He gave you a look you couldn’t quite place, but it quickly faded and was replaced with a relaxed grin.

“don’t worry kiddo, no harm done here. While I certainly don’t like basements, I’m not petrified of ‘em or anything.” While he seemed to be speaking the truth, his words still did not ease the painful feeling that had settled in your chest. It was almost like he sensed your guilt as he shot you a quick smile, saying nonchalantly, “come on, how ‘bout we go finish this tour, huh? 

You gave him a small smile back, asking as you walked towards the stairs, “Is there any place you would like to see first? Like the backyard, or the sunroom?” You two talked for a bit as you made your way to the top of the staircase. 

“how ‘bout we start with the bedrooms?” He asked.

You made it back to the ground floor where the other skeletons were waiting patiently for you to return. You shot everyone a slight smile and said, gesturing up the stairs that lead to the second floor, “So, who would like to see the bedrooms?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I just get a big _Y I K E S_ in the comments? 
> 
> Sorry for the EXTREMELY delayed update. Everything has been super crazy as of late with the whole pandemic, plus my college work to add on top of it all. I'm sorry about how bad and boring this chapter is... I really shouldn't have made the set-up chapters so long;; I hope to start getting into the meat of the story around chapter 5 or 6. I've got everything up to chapter 11 planned, now I just have to get the motivation to actually write it! ( ･ᴗ･̥̥̥ )


End file.
